On October 10^th, the Great River Taoist Center turns 25. Having grown from a tiny group to an international school, GRTC has defined itself as a community of practitioners dedicated to the pursuit of an endangered art. Students of all ages and abilities have joined Great River expecting “just to learn tai chi” and have discovered something far more valuable and personally meaningful.

Over the last 25 years, Great River has gone through many changes. The DC school has moved, but always stayed in the DuPont Circle area. GRTC has opened branches in Russia, Estonia, and Australia. Over the years, students have organized multiple international taiji festivals. Students have entered and won many tournaments throughout the world.

This October the Great River community will celebrate it past in the best way it can – a celebration through practice. The DC school will hold multiple seminars for students of all levels. From a push-hands party to a more rigorous set of seminars, GRTC students will pay their respects to the Art through mindful practice while having a good time.

The 25^th anniversary is not just about looking back and celebrating what GRTC has accomplished, the anniversary also serves to help ensure that GRTC will continue on for another 25 years. Economically, the last few years have been hard on the school and the most recent global recession has had a major impact on class enrollment. Though the school is in good financial shape, we want to make sure that GRTC can thrive. To help foster the kind of growth that we all want for the school, we are asking for donations. Great River has put together this website where you can donate to the school.

Here’s an overview of the events we have planned for October:

October 10th – Push-hands party at the DC school. All levels and abilities welcome. If you’ve never pushed hands, this is a great opportunity to come join your classmates, learn and laugh harder than you ever have before

October 11th – Dim sum - location TBD.

October 16-18th – a weekend long seminar held at Farfelu Vineyard in Flint Hill, VA. Limited space is available and the recommended donatition is $200. Those students stay for the whole weekend will work on swordplay and more advanced training.

October 17th – a daylong seminar for all levels at Farfelu Vineyard, only an hour and half away from DC. A daylong training event is a great way to push your skills to the next level. There will be multiple mini-seminars throughout the day taught by your classmates. Dinner is included and the recommended donation is $100.

More details will follow…